Willie Revillame
|occupation=Presenter, artist, comedian }} Willie Revillame (born Wilfredo Buendia Revillame, January 27, 1961) is a Filipino television host, singer, actor, comedian and businessman Life and career Revillame started out as the host of GMA Network's noontime variety program Lunch Date in the early 1980s together with Randy Santiago. After his hosting stint he started appearing on different movies playing sidekick to big-named stars. In 1998 he started co-hosting the ABS-CBN noontime show "'Sang Linggo nAPO Sila". After the show was cancelled to make way for his big break in Magandang Tanghali Bayan, he also started appearing in Richard Loves Lucy. Other shows he hosted within the network were "Willingly Yours", Masayang Tanghali Bayan, and Wowowee, as well as TV5 variety programs like Willing Willie or Wil Time Bigtime and Wowowillie., Willing Willie got reformatted to Wil Time Bigtime In March 2015, Revillame marked his homecoming in GMA Network (his original home network), and his long-awaited return to Philippine showbiz and to Philippine television via his newest weekly-variety program Wowowin, airing on GMA Network every Sunday afternoon since May 10, 2015. Due to its popularity, Wowowin became a weekday variety program in February 2016. Controversies PhilSports Stadium stampede On February 4, 2006, while Willie was hosting Wowowee, the PhilSports Arena stampede occurred. Hello Pappy scandal On August 25, 2007, the Department of Justice dismissed criminal charges against Revillame in connection with the stampede. However, Justice Secretary Raul M. Gonzalezaffirmed the charge against 14 others, including ABS-CBN officials.4 Cory Aquino In the August 3, 2009 episode of Wowowee, during which the show was interrupted for live coverage of the transfer of President Cory Aquino's remains from La Salle Greenhills to the Manila Cathedral, Revillame said that he could not make people happy while the entire country was mourning. The Alliance of Filipino Journalists denounced his remarks as a sign of disrespect towards Aquino. Revillame said he had no intention of defaming the former president and her family.5 ABS-CBN senior executive Cory Vidanes said the network supported Revillame's action, stating that his outburst did not run afoul of the Broadcast Code of the Philippines.6 Network entertainment official Johnny Manahan said Revillame was correct in saying that the footage should not have been inserted, but the way he said it was wrong.7 Jobert Sucaldito controversy On May 4, 2010, Revillame went into another on-air tirade on his now-defunct noontime show "Wowowee", this time directing his anger at entertainment columnist and DZMM Radio host Jobert Sucaldito. Without mentioning him by name, he said he had enough of Sucaldito's alleged criticisms against the show having high-school contestants whose grades were below the passing mark for the Willie of Fortune segment and also ridiculing them on-screen. He threatened to resign from the show unless the ABS-CBN management dismissed Sucaldito, who described Revillame's rant as being "pikon" (Tagalog slang meaning 'touchy').8 He went on an indefinite leave three weeks later after the network declined his resignation letter.9 Legal troubles with ABS-CBN In a press conference on August 9, 2010, Revillame announced that he was ending his contract with ABS-CBN, even if it is supposed to expire in September 2011. He also accused ABS-CBN of violating several provisions in his contract. He narrated that his decision came out of meetings between ABS-CBN production head Linggit Tan and network president Charo Santos-Concio regarding a return to the show on July 31. However, on July 20, Tan said the management will replace Wowowee with a new show on July 31 and also offered him a one-hour weekly show. She added negative feedback still prevailed among network employees about him going to work again. Despite the move, the network stated that Revillame's Wowowee tirade only highlighted his arrogance and stressed that the contract is still in effect.10 Child abuse case On March 12, 2011, a "macho dance" by an apparently unhappy six-year-old boy on Revillame's primetime show, Willing Willie, resulted in criticism, including the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development describing it as a case of child abuse. Revillame "sincerely and deeply" apologized for the segment, “which viewers may have found offensive or in bad taste.”11121314 The Commission on Human Rights pursued an investigation of the program for violating the law.15 In October 2015, the Court of Appealsallowed the arrest and prosecution of Revillame over the case.16 Atty. Nards de Vera, lawyer of Revillame, clarified in a GMA News article that Revillame has already posted the bail for the two cases in September 2013, and does not need the warrant of arrest served against his client.17 On April 11, 2016, the 3rd division of the Court of Appeal (CA) had affirmed the Regional Trial Court Quezon City Judge Roberto Buenaventura Decision. The CA said that Judge Buenaventura hadn't committed no grave abuse of discretion. In the CA's Decision, written by Justice Maria Luisa Quijano-Padilla, on the arrest and to bring to trial Willie Revillame, they said, " “as there is probable cause for the petitioner’s commission of a crime, his arrest and arraignment should now ensue so that this case may properly proceed to trial, where the merits of both parties’ evidence and allegations may be weighed.”18 Category:Presenters Category:Comedians